DYER BROOK, Maine — An impressive first quarter catapulted the No. 2 Southern Aroostook boys to an early lead it would never relinquish as the Warriors romped to a 77-43 victory over No. 15 Wisdom Wednesday in an Eastern Class D preliminary playoff.
The Warriors improved to 18-1 on the year, earning the right to play at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Monday. (See accompanying story). The Pioneers of St. Agatha end their season with an 8-10 record.
Five different players scored in double figures for the Warriors with sophomore Nolan Altvater leading a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, while sophomore Jackson Mathers added 12 points and sophomore Tyler Batchelder added 11. Seniors Cameron Landry, who was hampered with a case of the flu, and Everett Bivighouse both had 10 points. SACS’ starters sat out much of the second half with the game well in hand.
For Wisdom, senior big man Dominic Roy tallied 13 points in the loss. Roy struggled with foul trouble for much of the game, picking up three fouls in the first quarter alone.
SACS’ coach Bill McAvoy said he believed his squad understood the significance of the prelim game and was ready for what he hopes is a lengthy postseason appearance in Bangor.
“During the season, there was always another ball game,” he said. “Now, they know if you lose, you’ve got the rest of the year off.”
Wisdom coach Mark Sirois said his squad needed to control the ball and not let the Warriors get into a fast-paced running game. That, however, is precisely what happened as SACS opened the game with an impressive 11-1 run as the team constantly mixed things up between deep perimeter shots and slashing layups.
Both teams went to their timeouts early and often in the first quarter, as each coach called two breaks in the action to go over details with their respective squads. Those breaks did little to slow the Warriors down as SACS amassed a 27-9 lead at the end for the first quarter.
